Town and Seam
by Dendroica
Summary: One-shots about Madge and/or Gale
1. Smile for the camera

**A/N: I've been planning to start a series of Gadge one-shots. This scene was inspired by the Gadge week happening on tumblr. Thanks to Belle453 for her beta. **

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"Uh-huh," Madge mumbles, looking vacantly at the woman across from her. Friday night, and here she is having to play hostess for another visitor from the Capitol, here to interview the Victors' families for reactions to the Victory Tour. Thankfully, the cameraman has already gone to his room for the night, so Madge only has to entertain the reporter. "Don't worry, hon. I'll interview you, too," the woman says. "Wouldn't that be a thrill? The audience would love to hear from Katniss' best friend, too." Madge keeps the smile plastered across her face and agrees. She hates this; she just wants to be a normal teenager. Tomorrow she'll be spending the whole day at the interview set, "helping out."

Two days ago the house felt big and empty. She had gotten used to spending time with Katniss after the games, trying to help her find a talent. Now Katniss and Peeta have left for the Victory Tour and until the crew from the Capitol arrived, she had been on her own again. Yesterday she visited Prim, in the big house in the Victor's Village. Prim was busy though, helping her mom distribute herbal medicines and extra food to people they know from the Seam.

At least hosting Cressida and Pollux will keep her busy for a few days. She doesn't have anyone else to visit. The Mellark boys are busier than ever, covering for Peeta's absence. Gale has a job in the mines and a family to take care of. She never thought she'd miss his snide comments but now she imagines what he would say to see her alone in her big house. She takes care of her mom, but her mom sleeps a lot. She helps out around the house, but mostly she looks for news from the other districts. The broadcasts of the Victory Tour are already different than usual, and not because there are two Victors. Madge can tell it's more controlled than usual. Things are happening in the districts. They hardly ever show the crowds in the footage. Her father's kept better guard of his study than usual.

Cressida is here to get reactions from Katniss and Peeta's families. Madge is left to play hostess, again. Come Saturday morning, she leads Cressida and Pollux to the lit interview set arranged in a spare room of the Justice Building. The Everdeens are first on the interview schedule. Madge tries to give Prim a pep talk while Pollux sets up a few stationary cameras, then hoists another to his shoulder. Then the reporter calls Prim over, and Madge watches as Prim is interviewed. She is impressed by how well Prim holds together with the reporter.

Before Madge knows it, it's her turn. She doesn't even realize the Hawthornes are there watching her until she does a fake shake of her head at the "wonder" of Katniss and Peeta's tour. She catches impassive gray eyes and almost falters. Instead she turns back to the reporter and raves about how jealous she is of her friends the victors. Still she has lost her focus. She feels her face heat up and blames the camera's glaring lights. She rattles off praise for Katniss' fashion designs as if they actually exist. She belatedly remembers to praise Peeta's art, which truly deserves it.

She refuses to turn her head again; she refuses to look in the Hawthornes' direction. She doesn't want to see the judgment she is sure shows on his face. Finally the interview is over. Cressida is delighted. "That was great, Madge," she enthuses. "The audience will just eat this up!"

Madge looks at the floor ahead of her as she walks off the set, hoping not to have to face anyone for a while. With the camera and reporter behind her, she can let the fake smile fall from her face. Gale's siblings jostle past her to take their places. She still thinks of them as little kids, but one of them is almost as tall as her. They are too skinny, and it hurts her just to think of them going hungry.

She's supposed to be here all day, so she finds a spot off to the side to watch the rest of the interviews. After the Hawthornes, they'll bring in Peeta's family.

On the interview set, Hazelle Hawthorne wrangles her young children onto the couch. Gale isn't with his family. The reporter must have decided to interview him separately. Madge isn't really surprised. They tried to single him out for interviews during the games, too.

She's about to look around for him when she hears his voice behind her. "How do you do it?" he mutters under his breath. At first she's not sure he means her. She looks around, but there's no one else. Her stomach twists as she wonders if he believes her act. Then he adds, "How do you convince them you're on their side? I'll be lucky to get out of here without smashing those cameras."

She laughs nervously, letting out the breath she didn't know she was holding. Stepping to the side she steels herself and turns to look at him. His eyes are trained on his family; their interview has begun. His concern for them shows in his face and rigid posture. She doesn't have an answer about her act for the Capitolites - she's been doing it so long, it's almost automatic. Instead she just answers his comment about the cameras. "Better not. They'd probably dock your pay," she says drily.

Gale rolls his eyes, and then glances toward her. "That's the last thing I need," he grumbles.

Madge thinks for a second about Cressida. The reporter isn't quite like most that are sent to 12. She's pushy, but less inclined to follow silly gossip. Katniss and Peeta are being presented as a couple, which means Gale's interview should just be another pretty face in the broadcast unless he says something inflammatory. " Be boring. Just tell the Capitol what they want to hear," she suggests. "Give her what she expects and she'll leave you alone."

"Guess I can try that. At least I get a day above ground in return," he comments.

It's while she's watching his interview that she comes up with her explanation. She wishes she'd thought of it before, to tell Gale why she's so good at faking it for the Capitol cameras. Gale, she thinks, keeps his family safe by hunting. She keeps her family safe by smiling. She repeats the idea to herself, as if it means something. Maybe they aren't total opposites after all.

During his interview Gale is laconic, and maybe a little sullen, but his vague enthusiasm for the Victory Tour will be enough for a sound-bite. When the interview is over, he looks around for his family. They're waiting by the door; Rory and Vick kick a worn soccer ball back and forth between them. As he scans the room, Gale catches Madge's eye and gives her a slight nod. He hesitates mid-step and angles toward her.

"Nothing better to do on a Saturday?" he asks, eyebrows raised.

She smiles unhappily. "One of the joys of being the Mayor's daughter. I'm here to serve."

He grimaces. "Sorry..." he says sympathetically before turning away.

She shrugs, knowing it's useless but happy he cared enough to ask before leaving over to meet his family.

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To be continued ...


	2. Caught off guard

A/N: Continuation of part 1. Hope you enjoy! Thanks to Belle453 for the help with this. :)

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After dinner Madge is cleaning up in the kitchen, rinsing dirty dishes in the sink when she hears a quick series of knocks on the back door. Expecting one of the staff has forgotten something, Madge wipes her wet hands on a hand towel and pulls the door open. She peers out at the empty porch, wondering if she's hearing things.

She shakes her head and starts to swing the door closed before hearing his voice from the shadows. "Geez Underseee. Don't you ever take a break?" A shadow moves in the darkness to her right.

"Gale?" Madge gapes. Stunned she steps out into the cold and pulls the door shut behind her. She regrets the move immediately, conscious of her fancy clothes that are more fitting for a district official than a teenage girl.

She hisses, "What are you doing here?"

He steps silently into the dim light coming through the window and shrugs. "I figured you could use some fun after babysitting that reporter all day."

"I can't ..." she protests.

"Don't you ever break the rules, Undersee? Come on. There's a party in the Seam."

She's never been to a party in the Seam. Excited and a little afraid, she answers, "Umm, yeah. Okay."

"You might want to change," Gale suggests. "I'd suggest jeans ... if you own any."

She gives him a dirty look at the snide comment before she slips back into the house. For a second she just stands in the kitchen, unable to believe that she's going to a party ... in the Seam ... with _Gale Hawthorne_. For an instant she wonders if she should ask her dad, then she remembers Gale's comment about breaking rules. If he doesn't see her leaving the house, her dad will just think she's in her room – where she spends so many nights alone. Besides, she reasons, all she's doing is going to a party. She hurries upstairs to her room and frantically digs through her closet for a pair of jeans and her favorite fuzzy blue sweater that is super soft and brings out her eyes. She finds them and pulls them on, then sees the stain on the sweater. Groaning, she pulls it off again and grabs a green one with a v-neck. It'll have to do; she doesn't want Gale to think she's one of those girls that take two hours to get ready to leave the house.

Two minutes later she's sneaking out the back door into the darkness. "Gale," she whispers. "Where are you?"

"Here," he answers in a low voice from the shadows beside her. She doesn't understand how he can be standing so close without her knowing. "Let's go," he says, taking her hand before she has time to react and pulling her away from the house.

His hand is rough and warm; it sends electricity running through her with every movement against her skin. Too soon he lets go, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his well-worn coat. Soon she hears the growing sound of people laughing and talking, and music playing; they must be getting close to the party.

The party is a raucous affair consisting of people mostly in their teens and twenties crowded into a tiny, drafty house in the Seam. There's a fiddle playing in one corner, and near them a few couples press up against each other dancing and laughing. Gale works his way through the crowd, greeting people as he goes. Madge follows along uncertainly until he disappears through a doorway into a room so jammed with bodies that Madge doesn't try to follow, just waits awkwardly against the wall, trying to take in everything around her. Nobody pays her any heed. A few minutes later Gale reappears at her side and hands her a drink. She knows enough of Gale through Katniss to trust him, but she doesn't know what to expect here.

"Don't worry, Undersee," he mutters when she sniffs the drink cautiously. "It's just pop. Poured it myself. Come on, there's Thom." He leads her over to a group of people sitting around a flimsy table playing cards, then rattles off a series of names, to which the people at the table alternately nod, wave, or simply glance up toward them.

She watches them each toss white plastic chips into the center of the table while the cards are shuffled and dealt. "What are they playing?" she asks Gale quietly.

"5 card draw. Poker," he answers. "Want to play?"

"I don't know how," she admits, shaking her head.

He quirks an eyebrow and answers, "then it's time you learned."

Before she knows it, Gale has stashed their coats in a corner, claimed a bench, and is explaining the basics of the game while Thom deals out cards to her along with a few other people at the table. Gale picks up her cards and sorts them before putting them in her hand.

"We'll take it easy on you - no betting this round," Thom laughs. "The deal is you can trade in as many of your cards as you want, and get new ones, but only once."

Madge looks at her cards: 4, 5, 8, Jack, and King. The rules are easy but strategy is something else. She frowns and turns to Gale for help. "What would you do?" she asks quietly.

Gale rolls his eyes, then reaches over and plucks the 4, 5 and 8 from her hand and sets them on the table, face down. "Trade those in," he suggests. She does, and gets a Jack, a 6, and a 7. In the meantime, Gale places a stack of white discs, her "betting chips," in front of her.

"Now what?" she asks.

"Usually we'd bet," the gal next to Thom answers. Madge thinks her name is Bristel, but she's not sure because Gale rattled off everyone's names so quickly. "I guess we just show our cards this time. Too bad, best hand I've had all night." she continues. She drops her cards to the table, showing three tens.

Madge shows her pair of Jacks, and the others lay down their cards as well. Bristel collects the cards and begins to shuffle. "Ante up," she calls. The others each toss two chips into the middle of the table. Flustered Madge turns to Gale. She can't believe he would bet his earnings on cards, let alone allow her to. She doesn't even know how to play - it would be throwing money away.

"I can't bet your money," she argues. "What are the chips worth?"

Gale smirks. "Worried about money? Really?"

Angrily she retorts, "It's not funny."

"Don't worry Undersee, I know you're good for it," he answers, too lightly.

Sometimes she really hates being an official's daughter. Madge is ready to object when Bristel interrupts. "Gale, play nice," she says. To Madge she adds, "He's just being a jerk. You wanna bet, you go to the Hob. This is just practice - there's no real money on the table."

Sighing with relief, Madge smiles at Bristel. "Oh. Thanks," she says. She instantly admires the young woman for being able to dress down Gale so casually. Still, she wonders if any of them play for money at the Hob, before reminding herself it's none of her business.

While they play, Madge makes small talk and asks them about their work in the mines. A few hands later, Madge picks up a crummy hand, all numbers, of different suits. She's learned enough to know she shouldn't react, and tries to keep a straight face even though it will be obvious her hand sucks when she asks for all new cards.

When the newly dealt cards are no better, she deflates a little. She folds as soon as Thom places a bet, and Gale sounds mocking as he says, "better luck next time." She glares at him, but when he raises his eyebrows in challenge she gives up and returns to the cards, intent on ignoring him.

As the next round of cards is dealt, a whisper in her ear almost makes her jump out of her seat. "Let's see if you can play these guys like you can play that reporter," his whisper is so quiet no one else will hear him over the background noise of the party. His breath blows against her skin as he tells her, "Next time you get a hand like that, bluff. Pretend you're trying not to look happy. Don't trade in many cards."

Several hands go by, and Madge thinks she's holding her own. She wins a couple hands, loses several, but never betting heavily on the losing hands. Every time she picks up a hand, she thinks of what Gale said about bluffing, so that she won't let her true emotion show when she sees her cards. Eventually, another terrible hand comes. She's so excited she glances briefly toward Gale with wide eyes.

He suppresses a smile of his own. Leaning in he whispers, "They'll probably think you have something worthwhile if I'm giving you advice. Play as if you've got the best hand on the table and you know it."

Heart pounding, she nods slightly. When it's her turn to exchange cards, she only asks for one. When Bristel bets, Madge raises, tripling the number of chips in the pot. She looks each of them in the eye, feeling daring. She's anxious to see if she can pull this off. When she wins the hand, she grins brightly. She's about to triumphantly reveal her cards when Gale closes his hand over hers, pulling the cards from her hand and mixing them in with the others, face down, on the table. Bristel objects, but jokingly. As she recovers from the surprise of Gale's touch, Madge realizes that she doesn't have to reveal the bluff, and the genius of it - that the others don't get to know how good or bad her cards were. "Nice hand," Gale says with a smirk. Madge can't help but smile back.

The game continues. When Thom tries to get Gale to play, Madge joins in. Gale refuses, insisting it wouldn't be fair. "Undersee learned everything she knows from me," he says. Madge plays with more and more confidence as the night goes on. At some point she looks up and realizes Gale isn't beside her. Glancing around, she sees no sign of him in the crowd. She turns back to the game and tries not to let his absence distract her.

Another hour flies by and the stack of chips in front of Madge grows. She is shuffling the cards when Thom complains, "You didn't tell us you were bringing a ringer." Surprised she looks up, and follows Thom's sightline over her shoulder to see Gale standing behind her.

Embarrassed, Madge shakes her head. "It's just beginner's luck," she says to deflect Thom's praise.

Gale answers Thom, "don't worry, she's done for the night." Madge looks at him, surprised. He hands her coat to her and says, "come on, it's late. We should get you home."

Madge groans as she realizes how late it must be. Pulling her coat on, she turns to the table and says, "Thanks for letting me play, guys. It was really fun." They wave goodbye to her as she follows Gale back through the party, which is as lively as ever, and out onto the street.

"You can stay. I'll be fine," she tells him. He rolls his eyes and gestures for her come with him. They walk quietly through the Seam. It's after midnight, and the dark streets are deserted at this hour. As they walk, Madge's mind wanders back over the party and the night.

"Whose house was that?" she asks.

"Nobody's. It's abandoned," Gale says. Changing the subject he adds, "that wasn't beginner's luck, you know. You're a natural. Good at math and good at lying."

"It's probability, not math," she argues without thinking.

Gale laughs. "Fine. And lying? What _would_ your father say?"

He's being rhetorical, but Madge answers, "Who do you think taught me to lie to the Capitol?"

That silences Gale. Remembering their conversation from earlier, she adds, "lying is like hunting." When Gale looks at her as if she's lost her mind, she tries to explain. "You keep your family safe by hunting. We keep our family safe by lying. We smile for the cameras, because we have to."

"You're pretty convincing," Gale says.

Madge purses her lips. "We have to be."

When they reach her back porch, she turns to face him. "Thank you, Gale. I've never been to a Seam party before. I had a lot of fun tonight."

Smirking Gale shakes his head. "Are you always so formal Undersee?"

"You're the one using last names," she retorts. "But I mean it - it was really nice of you."

He shrugs it off. "That or I'm just using you to humiliate my friends."

Frowning she looks up at him. Seeing an impish grin on his face, she realizes he's teasing her and they both laugh. She's amazed by the difference in him tonight. Usually he's sarcastic and aloof - trading barbs, bordering on mean. Tonight she's seen a whole different side of him. Even his usually stone-cold gray eyes seem warm and inviting.

In fact, they are so warm and inviting that she impulsively launches herself up onto her toes and presses her mouth to his. As soon as their lips touch she feels foolish, reminding herself how he feels about Katniss. She begins to pull away, but then his lips come to life and move softly against hers, prolonging the kiss. His hands grab her and pull her into him greedily. For a moment she forgets about all the things that separate them. She forgets about the divide between Town and Seam, about the family that depends on his hunting, about her father's expectations, and about Katniss. Breathless, she loses herself in the feeling of his mouth on hers as their kiss deepens. In that moment, everything is right.

Madge wants it to be forever, to never end, but as they pull apart, the sense of longing grows. She can feel it, as if a wall is being built up between them, and Gale's demeanor changes. He presses his forehead to hers. She can feel the moment slipping away, but she is powerless to stop it. "Madge ...," Gale sighs, his voice strained. "We can't. You ... "

It has been such an amazing night, she doesn't want to accept it, but she knows he is right. She had never expected anything like this. She chokes back a wave of emotion.

"I know," she mumbles. There's plenty more she would like to say, but she doesn't trust herself right now. "Goodnight Gale."

Quietly Madge unlocks the door and sneaks back into her house, easing the door shut behind her.

She was wrong about being unnoticed. Her father sits in the living room with a book in his hand and a drink on the side table, looking disappointed and severe. Usually her father's disappointment would devastate her, but now Madge feels unaffected by it, still overwhelmed by Gale's kiss. Her father fixes his stern gaze on her and says, "We will talk about this in the morning, after you escort our guests to the train station. Now, straight to bed. It's well past your bedtime."

Madge nods automatically, and hurries upstairs to her room. Even with her father's disappointment, she doesn't regret her night with Gale. In the morning, she will again be the dutiful daughter her father relies on. But she will never forget his magnetic gray eyes.


	3. Christmas Surprise

A/N: Unrelated to previous chapter(s). Thanks to Belle453 for her help [any mistakes are mine], and to all of you for reading!

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"You have to come! It's Christmas Eve," Katniss' voice argued through the phone.

Katniss meant well, but Madge thought she would rather just be alone. She didn't feel like going to the usual party while Gale was off in another District. He had won a four-month internship with Nuts and Volts, an innovative tech firm in District 3. Madge wanted to be happy for him, but he'd only been gone three weeks and she missed him so much it hurt just thinking about him. She was starting to wonder if moving in together had been a bad idea – she'd been happy at the time, but now it just made her feel more alone.

They called each other, but it wasn't the same. On top of everything, she felt guilty for wanting him to come home, when he was brimming with excitement about the internship. The first time he'd mentioned a woman's name in passing, Madge had become so jealous that she had looked the name up on the company's website, trying to find out who the woman was. She was ashamed of herself when she found a picture of a woman almost their parents' age (not to mention wearing a wedding ring). Since then, Madge had tried not to worry about their relationship, but every day was a battle.

Madge sighed. She knew she would cave to Katniss' request. She agreed to go to Peeta's Christmas Eve party, at least for a little while. Katniss offered her a ride and without really thinking about it, Madge accepted, even though Peeta lived just over a mile from her.

When Katniss arrived, she wasn't alone. Her sister Prim was with her at the door. Prim took one look at Madge and declared, "Madge, you look like you're going to the library! Come on, this is the best party of the year." With that Prim pulled Madge into the apartment and toward her bedroom and closet. Madge couldn't help but notice the amused look on Katniss' face – though she also noticed that Prim had even gotten Katniss out of her usual jeans and into a skirt. Prim had begun school this year at the prestigious Capitol College, and was home visiting during winter break.

Though it seemed silly to her to get all dressed up without Gale, Madge knew Prim could be as bullheaded as Katniss, and suspected that if even Katniss had gone along with dressing up, it was useless to argue. Reluctantly Madge agreed to swap her simple sweater and jeans for a green dress - one that had always been one of Gale's favorites – and let Prim fix her hair into something a little nicer than the ponytail she'd had it in before. At least Madge wasn't alone. While Katniss looked great, it was clear to her that Katniss felt awkward in the above-the-knee skirt Prim had talked her into, which had probably come from Prim's closet. Madge wondered if it was fair of Prim to get Katniss dressed up for a party at Peeta's – Peeta had always had a crush on Katniss. Maybe Prim was hoping Peeta would make a move, since neither of them were seeing anyone else.

When they got to Peeta's, the party was already in full swing. Madge got a drink from the kitchen and said hi to Peeta, who chatted with her a few minutes before he had to run off to fulfill his duties as host. Madge joined a group of acquaintances from town and talked with them for a while. After an hour or two, she had talked with everyone she really wanted to see, and was starting to miss Gale. She found Katniss and said she might go home soon, but Katniss insisted she stay longer because the party games were about to start.

Katniss pulled Madge into a group playing what they called "All Bet's Off." It had started out as a game where events from the history of Panem were read off cards and players were supposed to 'wager' their allotted poker chips on which decade the event had occurred. Peeta had gotten the game a few years ago, and the original version had been pretty boring. Instead of throwing it out, one of Peeta's brothers had started writing new cards for it – with different events, some real, some imagined, and many more sinister or salacious than anything that would have been allowed in the official game cards. Soon it had become an annual tradition to play, and to try to come up with new cards to add to the game. Every year the deck of 'unofficial' cards grew and playing it became more raucous and rowdy.

The game proved a good distraction and Madge found herself having fun despite Gale's absence. When the game wound down, Katniss ran off to find Peeta, so Madge found Prim and talked with her about how school was going and about life in the Capitol. When another party game was getting started, Prim joined in but Madge elected just to watch – usually that was almost as fun as playing. A few rounds into the game, Madge decided to call it a night and went off to find Katniss and Peeta to say goodbye.

When she found them, she thanked them for the fun night and announced she was leaving. Katniss complained, "You can't go!"

"I came, I partied, it was fun," Madge said, "but now I'm heading home."

"But …" Katniss hedged, her eyes searching the party. "You at least have to say goodbye to Prim. Have you seen her lately?"

"Katniss, it's fine, she's playing a game. I'll see her in a couple days," Madge answered.

Then Peeta chimed in, "You're leaving already? The party is just getting started - did you try my new Christmas cookies? There's one with a mint filling I bet you would love."

Madge laughed. "Peeta, how could you think I'd miss your cookies? That's the only reason I came tonight," she winked at him. "I even hid some in my pocket for the walk home."

"Walk?" Peeta asked. "You're not walking alone, not at this hour. Shouldn't someone walk with you?"

Madge rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine," she said. Peeta was always concerned for everyone's safety – she knew it would probably be best to walk with someone – if only Gale were here, it wouldn't be an issue. But Madge felt she could handle herself. She knew the way, and it wasn't as if she had had too much to drink. Still, it was dark, and though she hated to feel like she needed help, she knew it would be smarter not to walk alone. She wished she'd brought her own car instead of getting a ride from Katniss and Prim.

Unconvinced, Peeta suggested, "I need to refill the snacks table. Why don't you wait a little while, then Katniss and I can walk you home together."

"Fine," Madge relented, thinking maybe that the two of them walking her home would give Peeta a chance to make a move - since they would walk back together, just the two of them. Before Peeta came back from the snack table, his roommate Jace started setting up their dart board. Katniss immediately jumped up and challenged him to a game, then as if remembering Madge, she turned back and assured her friend she would only be a minute.

Years of hunting with her dad had given Katniss incredible aim, which translated reasonably well to darts. But Jace had had plenty of experience himself, so they were fairly evenly matched. As Madge watched Katniss toss another dart, Peeta reappeared beside her and handed her a beer. She looked up at him questioningly, and he shrugged, "I saw the dart game and figured we'd be here a while." Then he clinked his beer bottle against hers and took a swig.

Madge sat with Peeta sipping the beer and watching the dart game. Seeing the look in Peeta's eye as he watched, Madge asked him, "Are you okay?"

It took him a minute to tear his eyes from Katniss and look over to Madge. Then he gave her half a smile. "She has no idea the effect she can have," he said wryly.

Madge rolled her eyes, but smiled sympathetically to him. She felt bad for Peeta. She remembered how it felt to like someone who was oblivious. As far as Madge could tell, Katniss saw Peeta as a friend, but even Madge wasn't sure it was a lost cause. Gale had told her to leave Katniss alone about it – that there was no way to push her. Well, whenever the dart game ended and they walked her home, maybe they would find out.

They were still watching when Madge felt a rush of cold air coming from the door. She shivered and looked over her shoulder in annoyance at whoever was letting in the cold. Her heart bounded in her chest when she recognized the figure in the doorway.

"Gale!" Madge cried, forgetting the rest of the party around her.

He turned and grinned as their eyes met. She leapt off the couch and hurried over to him. Hugging him fiercely, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Surprise," he answered. "I couldn't go another day without you, babe." He leaned down to kiss her. Despite just coming in from the cold, his lips were warm. His finger tips, however, were frozen. Madge pulled away as they skimmed her cheek, making her shiver.

"But your internship …," she said, still barely believing he was really here.

"Don't worry, it's fine," he assured her. "They gave us a couple days off for the holiday. Wanna get out of here?"

Madge stretched up onto her toes to kiss him before answering, "yes. Oh, but I should probably let Katniss and Peeta know."

"I'll say hi to them too," Gale agreed. As she turned back toward the party he rested his hands on her shoulder. Leaning in he murmured into her ear, "but then I'm getting you out of here. You look way too beautiful and I don't want any of these other guys getting any ideas."

Madge blushed happily, and gave him a small eye-roll, sure that none of the other guys would even have thought about hitting on her. Still, Gale was protective in a way that was sweet rather than threatening, and it gave her a small feeling of satisfaction seeing that side of him.

They found Peeta quickly, still watching the game of darts which Katniss was winning. Still flushed with the surprise and delight of Gale's arrival, Madge told their friend she was leaving. Then Gale thanked him for keeping Madge occupied until he arrived.

Madge turned to him in surprise. "What are you talking about? You wanted them to keep me here?" she asked.

"I didn't know how late I would get here, and I didn't want you home alone on Christmas Eve," Gale answered her. Then he asked Peeta," Is Katniss around? I should thank her too before we head out." Peeta pointed him toward the game of darts. Madge waited with Peeta while Gale pulled Katniss aside long enough to say thanks and promise to see her while he was in town. Then Gale and Madge pulled on their winter coats and headed out. Madge tingled with energy, now looking forward to the night ahead. Suddenly Madge was glad that Prim had insisted on dressing up, and that the dress she wore was one she knew Gale liked.

The night was cold and crystal clear, stars glinting dimly against a black background. "I still can't believe you're here," Madge exclaimed as Gale led her down the street toward his car. "And that Katniss knew and didn't tell me!" Gale laughed, and held her car door for her. Then they made the quick trip to their apartment.

As soon as they walked into their small home, Madge knew Gale had been there before coming to the party. The table they sometimes ate at had a bouquet of roses, and two place settings. Gale smiled, watching her, then pulled two small dishes of chocolate mousse, Madge's favorite dessert, from the refrigerator.

"When did you get here? You didn't have to do all this," she protested, still surprised.

Gale walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek lightly. "I wanted tonight to be special."

Madge shook her head. "All I needed was you," she murmured before turning in his arms to kiss him again, a long deep kiss that left Madge breathless.

Gale caught her hands in his and looked into her eyes. "You think you might keep saying that for the rest of your life?"

Madge smiled, then her jaw slackened as she realized what he meant – or at least, what she thought he meant. She couldn't tear her eyes from him as he dropped to one knee, held up a ring he'd pulled from his pocket, and said, "Will you marry me, Madge Undersee?"

Tears sprang into her eyes as she nodded and answered, "Yes! Of course, yes."

Gale stood up, sweeping her into his arms and kissing her. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she answered him, her arms around his neck. She kissed his cheek and his jaw, thinking over and over again how he was _all hers_. She couldn't believe it. Even when her feet touched the ground again, she still looked up at him breathlessly.

Then he looked down at their hands and slid the ring he was still holding onto her finger and kissed her hand. She stretched her hand out, admiring the glint of the small, bright stone set in a plain band. "It's beautiful," she told him.

"Not as beautiful as you," he answered. "What do you think, should we call our parents and tell them the good news?"

Madge thought for a moment, then wrapped her arms around his neck, twisting the ends of his hair at the nape of his neck in her fingers. She wanted to tell their families, and their friends too - but right now she just wanted to be together with him. "Let's tell them tomorrow," she said. "It will be our gift to them."

Gale nodded agreement. Running his hands up her arms and over the smooth fabric of the dress, he kissed her again, softly, teasing her mouth with his until she moaned. She arched her body into his, kicking off her dressy shoes and moving with him as he stumbled backward to the couch. He ran his hands down the sides of her dress as he moved down her body kissing her - first her cheek, then her neck. From there he dropped his lips to the light fabric of her dress in between her breasts, then to her stomach as he sank down onto the couch. As he leaned back to look up at her, she saw her own desire reflected on his face, in his slate gray eyes dark with lust and slightly parted lips. She leaned over and knelt onto the couch to straddle him as their lips met again.

She ran her hands across his chest and kissed the stubble along his jaw. His slightly ragged breath blew across her neck and made her shiver as her fingers began working the buttons of his shirt. "You're so sexy," he murmured in her ear as his hands caressed her thighs. Her eyes pressed closed as his hands radiated warmth through her.

Madge slowly slid back to be able to reach the lower buttons on his shirt, pausing to run her hands and lips across his exposed skin. Then she pulled herself off him, pulling him to his feet (he was only too happy to oblige) and then pushed the shirt off his shoulders, sliding her hands across his hot skin. He stepped closer and linked his fingers into hers, which pressed the band of the engagement ring into her finger. Glancing down at their entwined hands Madge giggled, too happy for words, and pulled him toward the bedroom. As they passed the table with the forgotten dessert and flowers, Gale pulled her in for another kiss, then paused just long enough to return the untouched chocolate mousse to the refrigerator. Together they tripped down the hall - caught in the thrall of a passionate kiss, her fingers tugging him by the belt-loops, his reaching for the zipper of his favorite green dress.


	4. District Token

A/N: I hope you enjoy this Madge piece. You've all probably thought about what this day was like for her ... maybe you have your own ideas. I hope you like this take. Thanks to Belle453 for her beta (all errors are mine) and Thanks all of you for reading!

* * *

I'm too stunned to react when disaster strikes. The first name drawn is Primrose Everdeen. _Prim_. I can't believe it. Prim is the sweet, innocent, and harmless little sister of my friend Katniss. She's only twelve years old. She had less of a chance to get reaped than even me. _How could it be Prim_? Katniss loves her sister more than anything, so it shouldn't surprise me when she volunteers. But it does. My friend's voice crying out, desperately, knocks the wind out of my lungs. _No. No No NO._

Numbly I watch as Gale Hawthorne rushes into the fray, holding Prim back as Kat walks to the stage. I just stare, horror-struck, while my one friend stands coolly on stage as if she isn't about to face 23 other teenagers in a battle to the death. As if some of them haven't been training their entire lives – training – to kill.

When I look at my dad I see he is watching me tensely, warning me with his eyes not to draw any attention. I know what he's thinking. He's worried I'll do something stupid, though I can't even think of what I could do. What could I do? No matter how hard I try, I can't think of anything.

Belatedly I notice the hands raised into the air, three fingers saluting the only volunteer this crowd has ever known. I touch my fingers hastily to my lips and raise them along with the others. I swear to myself that I will do whatever I can to help her. Maybe I can't do much for her in the games, but I am one of few in the district who know what being a victor really means. And when she comes home (when, not if, I tell myself) I will still be a friend to her. On stage, Haymitch is busy demonstrating to the district just how damaged victors are – drunk as usual; he's just fallen off the stage after yelling something at the cameras.

I've always known it could happen, but I didn't expect her to be going as a volunteer. I can't even think of how that might change things. _What did dad say_? I can't remember the plan_. There's a plan, what is it?_ I can't think. I look at my dad, wide-eyed. He is a model of calm, his face totally neutral. He meets my eye for another minute, and then as Effie reads out the second name he deliberately looks to the boys' side of the crowd. I may not remember it, but I know that the rebels have ways of communicating about the tributes. Katniss isn't about to lead a rebellion, but I think she could be convinced to join one. She hates the mines for taking her dad, and she hates the tesserae system, but unlike most Seam kids Katniss is strong. She's been taking care of her family ever since her father died. She has a chance in the games. I can't remember the details, but I know dad will let the rebel network know that our tribute stands a chance in the games - and more importantly, that she will be sympathetic to the rebel cause. To me, it's hard to imagine any victor supporting Snow, unless they are from a Career district. But sympathetic doesn't mean useful. Turning victors to the cause is one of the main successes the underground resistance group has had.

From the moment Katniss reaches the Capitol, she'll be watched 24/7. Haymitch will have more freedom, because he'll need to talk to people about sponsorships. For once, he'll actually have something to say. That must be it, Haymitch will spread the word about Katniss. Surely dad will make sure Haymitch makes an effort with her.

I'm so lost in thought about what will happen in the Capitol, I don't even hear the second name. It's not until Peeta is stepping up onto the stage that I realize he is the male tribute. _Son of a b-!_ Peeta. My heart sinks. I wonder if Katniss will have to kill him, and instantly feel guilty. Peeta is strong, and cute, but he's nice - he's no fighter. Besides, I bet he would give his life to help her make it. I had a crush on Peeta once, back before I realized how he felt about Katniss. Now onstage, Peeta's feelings are scrawled on his face, but Katniss looks resolute. She knows what she has to do, how to look strong even now. It makes me sad to think about. I wonder if he'll tell her how he feels – I don't think Katniss knows. Ugh. What an ugly mess.

Before I know it, father finishes reading the Treaty. There's no time to do anything. I can say goodbye to Katniss, but it's too late to change any of the mail headed to the Capitol. Dad knows Katniss could do it. She could win and come home. There's a chance at least. More chance than most tributes have.

I meet my father at the edge of the stage. Half panicked and half still stunned, I ask, "What do we do?"

"Keep calm, Madge," he tells me. "You're Katniss' friend. Go say goodbye. Give her the mockingjay pin. She should like that, having something from home with her. I'll be busy today but I'll see you tonight, sweetheart." With that, he kisses my forehead and turns back to where Effie and the rest of the Capitol group are waiting for him.

I hurry on into the Justice Building to say goodbye to Katniss. I have my orders. I have to trust that dad will handle Haymitch.

I'm glad Katniss will take the mockingjay pin with her. Katniss could be a symbol to the rebels. A strong tribute from a weak district – Katniss is defiant by nature. Even if she doesn't win ... _NO._ I can't think like that. She's my friend. She has to win. The pin I'm giving her has a history in the games – I hope that means it will serve as a signal to others in the rebel underground. Maybe it will gain her a few donors.

A Peacekeeper named Shawn directs me to a waiting room where I'm told to take a seat. Katniss' best friend and hunting partner, Gale Hawthorne, is already there. His reaping clothes are clean and pressed but fit him poorly. His pants are too short. Even with their illegal hunting and the tesserae rations, he can't afford to waste money on new clothes for the reaping. This was his last reaping, so he should be relieved, but with Katniss going into the games he looks like he could explode at the drop of a hat. Plus, he has a bunch of younger siblings which ensures that he'll dread reaping day for years to come. He makes me nervous under normal circumstances, let alone now. Just this morning he was making snide comments about my advantage in the reapings. I've never had to take out tesserae rations. I had only the base number of entries in the reapings for a person my age - five this year. I'm pretty sure Gale takes out the maximum possible every year. He and Katniss both risk more entries in the reapings for extra tesserae rations, which help keep their families fed. Most families in the Seam only get by because of the wages of fathers working in the mines, but their fathers both died a few years ago. Most families would have starved, but Katniss and Gale have managed to keep their families alive, between the tesserae and their illegal hunting. Between his family's poverty and his willingness to break the rules, it's obvious Gale would join any rebellion against the Capitol.

Maybe it's terrible, but dad and I were hoping Gale would be reaped this year. I wouldn't wish the games on anyone, but Gale is the perfect tribute for the rebels. It's his last year in the reaping, which would have given him a natural advantage. He is old enough and strong enough to win, and already well versed in survival skills and hunting - two key aspects of the games. He hates pretty much everything associated with the Capitol (which in his mind includes me), but he's usually smart enough not to say so in front of the wrong people. I would bet he'd do anything if it meant saving his siblings from the reapings. He has a temper though, and can be impulsive. Still, I was convinced that if Gale won the games, he'd become a leader for the resistance. For now, Gale doesn't even know there is a resistance. Bringing in new contacts is the most dangerous part of the rebel activities, so dad refuses to bring Gale in until he has good reason.

I don't know if a rebellion will ever happen. Sometimes it feels like it's all pointless. I mean, who cares about a small underground resistance movement when we can't actually do any real damage to the Capitol? Who cares if there really is a district 13, if they're not willing to help us? Anytime I get fed up about it, dad has to remind me that these things don't happen overnight. They've been working for years, collecting information and theoretically waiting for the right opportunity. And I know dad is right when he points out that district 12 isn't ready for a rebellion. I don't know how he can be so patient.

I take an empty seat a few places away from Gale. I don't know what to say to him, so I focus on what I will say to Katniss. I wait anxiously for my turn, watching the Peacekeepers in the hall. The Mellarks come out of one of the rooms - it must be where Peeta is - and Mr. Mellark talks to one of the guards. After a while I see Katniss' family in the hall. If you didn't know them, you wouldn't recognize the two blondes as her family. While Katniss inherited her father's dark hair, Prim and their mom have the blonde hair common in Town. I wonder if Mrs. Everdeen will recognize the mockingjay pin when she sees it on Katniss. It belonged to my aunt Maysilee when she was a tribute in the games - strangely enough, Katniss' mom was one of her best friends. They grew up together in town. My father says that my mother was never the same after seeing her sister killed in the games. I sometimes wonder, if the three of them would all be friends today if my aunt hadn't been reaped twenty four years ago, or if the barriers between Town and Seam would have split them anyway.

They call me first, even though Gale has been waiting longer. I look at him apprehensively, worried that he'll lash out at the special treatment. He's staring at the floor, looking like he's going to be sick. It reminds me of the gravity of the situation. I swallow nervously as I follow the Peacekeeper from the room. When they let me in to see Katniss, she's still composed. She's got a white paper package in her hands, but I'm concentrating on the mission at hand. I insist on her wearing the pin as her token. She's dazed by the unexpected request, but lets me pin it on to her dress and promises to wear it. I kiss her cheek and leave her. In the hallway as I leave, I hear the Peacekeeper call Gale's name, and I can't help but wonder what their goodbye will be like.

* * *

The Capitol visitors leave on the train along with our tributes, taking with them our letters to the Capitol: my father's reports on district activity, my letters to pen pals. Buried amongst the gossip about Capitol celebrities like victors Finnick Odair, Cashmere and Gloss, is information about the Peacekeepers in 12: numbers, weapons, etc. Every year around the games, Dad's letters include a family photograph within which he has hidden microdot photos of a few valuable district documents. It's not going to spark a revolution, but in the Capitol it's hard to get any information about the districts that isn't tainted with Capitol propaganda. We provide the rebel network with the truth. Dad has been working with the resistance since before he became mayor. That's why he took the job, really.

One privilege of dad's position as mayor is that he travels to the Capitol every three years. When I was five he was invited to bring his family with him. While my father was meeting with lots of Capitol representatives, some of whom work for the resistance, I was put in playgroups with their children. After the trip, one of dad's contacts sent a letter his daughter had written to me. I still don't know whose idea the letter was, but dad saw instantly the value of me having a 'pen pal' in the Capitol. He helped me write a letter in response. For a long time it really was just childish drivel, but it created a new avenue of communication for our parents, both involved in the resistance. Though it was risky, they would occasionally use our letters to send messages of their own, hidden in invisible ink beneath our scrawl.

Dad arranged to take me on a second trip to the Capitol when I was eleven, citing my undying love of Capitol fashions. By then I'd gotten pretty good at pretending to love everything that comes from the Capitol. On that trip, I made more friends – some of whom were carefully vetted as possible 'pen pals.' Now I write to three girls – two allied with the resistance, one well-placed Capitol loyalist. We're very careful, so that if our letters are read there will be nothing suspicious about them. We are just teenage girls, talking about school and boys. My letters always talk about how jealous I am of them - how they are so lucky to live in the Capitol and how I'd give anything to get out of my backwater district, etc. etc. Ad nauseum. Even the messages in invisible ink, usually vinegar or milk, are rife with romantic ramblings about some secret crush or Capitol heartthrob so that they could be explained away if discovered. I would have liked to give my friends in the Capitol some clue about Katniss – how easy it will be to write about how excited I am for my district's tributes - but it will have to wait.

By the time I see my father that night, it's late and my father is probably tired, but I am brimming with anxious energy. Watching the rest of the reapings has left me feeling scared for Katniss - somehow the Careers seemed even more vicious than usual. Dad slumps into a chair and assures me that they're no worse than usual, that it's just my worry for Katniss coloring my perception. He reminds me not to read too much into the brief glimpses we've gotten of the tributes - after all, it was only a few years ago that Johanna Mason convinced everyone she was too weak to bother with, while she was biding her time as her competition fought it out amongst themselves.

I ask dad, "Did you talk to Haymitch?"

"Yes," he answers tiredly.

"And?" I ask, impatient to know what happened.

"I talked to him. You don't need to worry about it," he insists. I clench my teeth to suppress a growl of frustration, but settle for glowering at him.

"Madge, I know you want your friend to win," he says slowly, "but we can't control the games. And Haymitch ... well, he's seen a lot of tributes die. He's not going to get excited about her chances just yet. But you have to trust us. And," he argues pointedly, "give Katniss some credit. Haymitch will give her a fighting chance when he sees her strength for himself."

I have to know more, so I ask, "Will the pin really help her?"

"We'll see. I think it will," he says. "For one thing, it will get Haymitch's attention." I can't help smile wryly. My aunt died in the games the same year Haymitch won. He was there when the pin was returned to the family. If anyone would recognize it from then, Haymitch would.

Dad continues, "But more than that, mockingjays mean something to the resistance. They remind us how to survive through whatever the Capitol sends our way. They inspire us to turn the tools of the Capitol against them. Even when dusk falls, mockingjays remind us to sustain hope, circulating only the sweetest songs. You know, I used to think your friend's father would be the leader we needed to unite Town and Seam." I'm surprised to see the faraway look in his eyes as he adds quietly, "it wasn't meant to be ... but as long as there are mockingjays in the trees, there is hope for the resistance. One day, we'll have the numbers to rise up."


	5. Birthday luck

A/N: In honor of Liam Hemsworth's birthday please enjoy this AU piece. Thanks everyone for reading and to those of you who review, you're awesome. Thanks Belle453 for the beta!

* * *

Gale checked over the custom tablet computer one more time, making sure it was ready to ship. He smiled in satisfaction at the elegant design before slipping the tablet into its custom case. It was part of a special order placed by the city's basketball team. Gale handled most of the custom work at the high-end communications firm. When he wasn't handling a custom order, he usually spent his working hours troubleshooting and repairing VIP's broken personal devices.

Glancing at his own personal slatestream tablet, Gale grinned. It was 5:30 - too late to bother starting a new custom build. Technically he was working a 10-6 shift, but he had enough flexibility that he could leave early and make up the time later in the pay period. After all, it _was_ his birthday.

His family wasn't celebrating until the weekend, but Gale's friend Thom had declared they were taking over JUICE tonight. JUICE was the bar where Thom worked, and Gale was heading straight there after work. It was popular enough to be packed on weekends, but on a Tuesday night with Thom calling the shots, they would own the place. Gale had first gone to JUICE over a year before, hoping to distract himself from a painful break-up with his long-term girlfriend Jenna. There was plenty of eye candy on the weekends to take his mind off his woes, but it was the bartender Thom that Gale had become friends with.

Gale sent a quick message to his friend Thom - _heading out early, c u soon_. Then he checked his messages - amongst a series of birthday messages from friends and relatives was a longer message from his ma.

_Hey hon, I hope you're having a great birthday! I hate to ask this but I'm stuck at work until 9 and Posy needs to get to the grocery store for her shift at 7. Can you drive her? If you need to take her early she can take her homework with her. Then I'll pick her up tonight. I hope this doesn't interfere with your party plans - give me a call, okay?_

Gale groaned. Posy was sixteen now and could drive herself, but she was grounded because she'd stayed out past curfew without calling to tell their ma where she was. She still had to go to work, but she wasn't allowed to drive herself. Grudgingly, Gale sent a message back saying he'd get Posy to work. Then he called home and told Posy he'd be home by 6:00 to take her to work. For once, she didn't argue.

Gale was walking out through the storefront when his eyes lingered a second too long on a pretty blonde customer talking to Josh. As soon as he realized Josh had spotted him, he snapped his gaze back toward the store entrance, but it was too late.

"Oh Gale," Josh called. "Good. This client needs ... uhh ..."

Gale actively avoided Josh, who seemed unable to do anything without help. Usually Gale would be happy to help with a client like this one, but he didn't have time now. Still, he was technically leaving early, and it wouldn't look good if the manager saw him brush Josh off on his way out - or hear about it, which he undoubtedly would if Gale kept walking. So instead, Gale paused just long enough to erase the scowl from his face before walking over to Josh and the blonde. He wondered how she'd take an invitation to his birthday party - if he could get rid of Josh, of course.

"Gale Hawthorne, at your service," he began. Forcing himself to keep his eyes on her face, Gale asked, "What seems to be the trouble, Miss ... ?"

The blonde smiled back. "Undersee," she filled in. "Madge Undersee. I was just looking for a gift ... "

"For her boyfriend," Josh interrupted. "I suggested something from the new slatestream product line, but she says she wants something more traditional."

_Boyfriend ... too bad_, Gale thought.

"Yes, I love the slatestream myself, but ..." Miss Undersee blushed a little and continued, "well I was hoping I could get something with all the new communications tech, but my," she stammered a bit, saying, "umm, my boyfriend, he has one of the original slates and doesn't want to have to learn a whole new interface."

_Her boyfriend had an original slate?_ Gale smirked a little. Either she had a thing for older men, or the guy was a technophobe who'd gotten a hand-me-down. _If she was buying him expensive gifts, maybe she'd given him the slate when she upgraded. _

Gale did some quick calculations of how much time it would take to build what she was asking for. He told her, "Well, Miss Undersee, we can always do a custom product for you. I'll warn you, it'll cost you a little more than the slatestream off the shelf, but most of the new comm tech can map onto an older interface no problem. If you want the video search feature, that might take about a week. We've got a bit of a wait time on the custom products at the moment."

The blonde lit up with a smile. "A week? That's all? I'll take it," she answered. "Can I place the order now?"

"Absolutely," Gale answered. "You could pick it up next week. I think we can have it ready by Wednesday." Gale turned to his useless coworker. "Josh, do you think you can write up the order? Just use the feature selection form for slatestream products and make a note about using the old slate interface."

Josh nodded and dug through his stack of papers looking for the proper form. Gale turned back to the customer. _Time to make a clean getaway_. Holding out a hand, he said, "Miss Undersee, if you'll excuse me -"

"Madge," she repeated, blue eyes meeting his as she shook his hand and smiled. "Please, it's just Madge. Thank you."

For a second he was caught in the blue of her eyes and her friendly smile. Rarely were such pretty clients so friendly. He imagined sliding his hands through her hair, tilting her face toward his ... he forced himself out of the fantasy. It really was a shame about the boyfriend.

"So," Josh interjected as he slid a clipboard into the woman's hands, "if you could just check off which features you want ..." She pulled her eyes away to look down at the form before looking back up at Gale.

Gale swallowed and smiled. "Madge. My pleasure. We'll see you next week then."

"Next week," she repeated. If they had been at a bar instead of at his work, Gale would have believed they were talking about a date.

With a wave, he headed toward the exit. Glancing at the time, he saw the whole exchange had taken less than ten minutes. He wouldn't keep Thom waiting too long.

* * *

When Gale reached his family's home, he pulled over to the side of the street and honked the horn to let Posy know he was there. She was out the door a moment later.

"Where've you been?" Posy demanded, flinging her backpack into the back seat.

"What, no 'Happy Birthday'?" Gale answered, teasing.

Posy rolled her eyes, then said, "Happy Birthday. There, happy?" She stuck out her tongue at him, relishing her role as the obnoxious little sister.

"Happy? Why should I be happy when I have to drive you around like a chauffer?" He shook his head, pretending shock. "Do me a favor and next year, don't get grounded right before my birthday."

"No promises," she answered. "How can I make it up to you? Homemade chocolate cake on Saturday?"

"Deal," he grinned.

Just Gale's luck, traffic was terrible. By the time they reached the grocery store, it was almost 7:00 and the after-work shopping crowd was filling the lot. Anxious to get to the bar, he swung the car up to the front of the store and dropped off his sister. "If you need anything, don't call me," he joked as she pulled her backpack from the car. He thought about texting Thom, but the bar was only a mile or so away. He'd be there soon enough.

He turned down the first lane to drive back out through the parking lot. Suddenly a small kid came running out from between the parked cars to his right. On instinct, Gale swerved away and slammed on the brakes - not fast enough to avoid crumpling a dent into the front side panel of a car pulling into a spot on the left.

"Fuck!" Gale yelled. The kid, unattended, ran uninjured and oblivious behind the car Gale had hit and away through the rows of cars. _Stupid kid ..._ Gale glared after the boy. Angrily he reached for his tablet, where all his license and insurance information was stored. He knew he'd be blamed for the accident, even though he'd only been trying to avoid hitting the kid. He just wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

Pushing out of the car he stopped in his tracks as he saw the driver of the other car. _Fuck Fuck Fuck_, he thought. _Could the day get any worse?_ It was bad enough to deal with the damage and insurance companies, but he'd just crunched a customer's car.

The blonde woman digging through her purse was none other than the woman from the store, Madge Undersee. At least she didn't look particularly angry - though it was hard to tell; apparently she couldn't find her insurance information or something. Chagrined, Gale waited for her to notice him. Before he could stop it, his little fantasy from earlier sprung to mind instantly. He wondered how her mouth would fit against his ... how her skin would taste, or feel pressed against his own ...

"You," she exclaimed as she pushed her door open. Well, she had noticed him. He startled and the fantasy dropped away. He had, fortunately, been staring off into space and not _at her_. He was ashamed of how easily his thoughts had devolved._ You just hit her car, dammit, _he reminded himself. He had to stop fantasizing about her. It was beyond inappropriate. It was juvenile.

She was having some trouble with her car door. The dent had buckled into the joint between panels and her door wouldn't open all the way. _Fuck_. He forced his brain back into the situation, then stepped toward her car and pulled her door half-open as she slid out through the narrow space.

"Uhh .. yeah. Me," Gale agreed, still tense. He hoped she didn't realize what he had been thinking about. Feeling like an idiot he quoted the store line. "Gale Hawthorne at your service. Again. Look, I'm really sorry, Miss Undersee. I had no idea - Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, and I told you it's Madge," she said distractedly. "Besides, it's not your fault. That kid came out of nowhere."

Gale relaxed a little. She wasn't pissed at him. She had no idea where his thoughts had taken him, and she didn't even blame him for hitting her. His fuck-up probably wouldn't interfere with his work life, then. Though he wasn't sure which was worse, the accident or the fantasy. He looked down at her car again. The accident was definitely worse. "Yeah, well, still. We should move these cars out of the traffic lane. And file a report."

She agreed to move the cars to the far corner of the parking lot, which was still empty. They got both cars moved, but hers didn't sound trustworthy enough to go out on the road. They called in the accident to the police, then to insurance. Gale's car barely showed damage. He felt bad knowing that she was going to have to take hers in for repairs. But, there wasn't anything he could do about it now. At least his insurance would cover all the work.

"I guess that's it," Gale said, "as long as you're sure you're okay? Do you need to call your boyfriend or someone for a ride?" _Boyfriend_, he chided himself. _She has a boyfriend, remember?_ "I can wait if you want."

"I'm fine," she said, insistently. With a laugh she added, "I'll catch a cab. Honestly I wouldn't mind a drink first. Can you help with that? Gale Hawthorne at my service?"

Gale hesitated. Was she flirting with him? He had to be imagining it. She was pretty, and nice, and he definitely owed her a drink. On the other hand, he had a party to get to, she had a boyfriend, and she sent his brain off into fantasy land in a way that caught him completely off guard. Hesitantly he answered, "I'm actually headed to the bar - JUICE? It's just down the road. You can come with if you want a drink. I probably owe you at least one after this."

A smile spread slowly across her face. "I'd like that," she answered. Gale smiled back. He couldn't help it; her smiles were infectious.

They drove down the road in silence. As Gale pulled into a parking space in front of the bar, he realized he'd never contacted Thom about being late. And now he was about to walk in, 2 hours late to his birthday party, with a beautiful woman. Which normally would be great, but she happened to be a client, and in a relationship.

Without thinking he muttered, "Shit."

"What?" she asked.

"I should warn you," he answered quickly. "I'm meeting a bunch of friends for a birthday." He hesitated before adding, "my birthday."

"Oh-," she said. "Is there a jealous girlfriend waiting?" Teasing him she said, "I don't want to get you into trouble."

"What? No. No. That's kind of the problem, actually," Gale corrected her. "My friends ... might get the wrong idea about us."

She laughed. "Aww, you're worried they'll offend my delicate sensibilities? Come on - drink time, birthday boy."

* * *

Gale looked across the room during a brief lull in conversation. It was a great party. A good crowd of friends, mostly from college, had turned out. He was a few drinks in, since as soon as they'd walked in the door Thom had hopped behind the bar and begun pouring. That is, after pounding Gale on the back, and introducing himself to Madge. They'd gotten their drinks. They made small talk, but Gale was distracted trying to keep his thoughts out of fantasy-land. After a few minutes of people coming up to them to say hi, Madge had insisted he circulate and see his friends. "You don't have to babysit me," she'd said.

He couldn't help keep an eye on her though. He had seen her chatting with Thom across the bar. He had seen her talking with Sam and Emma. Now he saw her perched on a barstool, talking with Thom's friend Bristel. The two women were laughing together about something. Gale imagined standing beside her (_that was okay, wasn't it? standing next to her?_) He imagined her leaning back against his chest. He would brush her hair to one side ... _STOP IT!_ He told himself. _She's taken. Just because I'm single is no excuse to fantasize about someone else's girl!_

"What do you suppose they're talking about?" Thom asked, following Gale's gaze. Gale startled from his inner turmoil. "You wanna tell me again that she's just a client?"

"I didn't say I _wanted_ her to be just a client," Gale said. The admission came a little easier after a few birthday drinks. "She's gorgeous, clever - I can't explain it, she just ... But she has a boyfriend. I hit her freaking car. She's not interested."

"Then why is she still here?" Thom asked. "And why are you still sober?"

"I'm not sober," Gale argued. "I'm just not drunk either." It was true Gale had slowed his drinking pace because she was there. It was bad enough having to control his thoughts; he didn't want to embarrass himself. It wasn't like he couldn't talk to her. He just didn't want her to feel awkward. She'd told him to circulate. He was circulating.

"Then now's the perfect time," Thom grinned.

"For what?" Gale asked amused.

Thom grabbed Gale by the shoulders and turned him toward the bar. "To talk to her, you idiot," he said into Gale's ear.

Gale rolled his eyes, but walked over to the bar. He could feel Thom watching him.

"Hey," he said as he approached the women. "Either of you want to help me take down those pool sharks?" He waved toward the pool table where Sam and Emma were practicing shots. Since he'd seen Madge talking with them earlier, he thought it might be an activity he could pull her into.

"Hey, birthday boy," Madge answered with a smile that lit up her eyes and sent a wave of want through him. "Thanks, but I should probably call a cab."

Gale tried not to be disappointed. He couldn't help but be attracted to her. _Why did she have to be so beguiling when she was already taken? _

"Oh, yeah. Well, thanks for coming," he answered. "And I really am sorry about your car."

She pulled out her tablet and looked at it, then said, "it's pretty loud in here. I think I'll call from outside. Mind keeping me company?"

Suddenly the bar seemed warm and stuffy. Gale smiled. "Yeah - I could use some fresh air anyway."

Madge picked up her glass and drank the last few sips in one gulp. "Nice to meet you, Bristel. Say goodbye to Thom for me?"

Bristel looked at Madge and answered, "will do. Hope to see you round sometime."

Gale held the door for the blonde. Outside, Gale leaned against the wall of the building as Madge made the call.

When she got off the call, she told him, "half hour or so. Time for another round if you want. Or a birthday kiss?" She smiled suggestively.

It was his birthday. And she offered. Gale's better self lost out and he agreed to the kiss, which turned out to be a light feathery temptation that left him unsatisfied. Then she turned so her mouth was near his ear, and whispered, "Happy Birthday. I lied in the store. I don't have a boyfriend."

Gale was sure he hadn't heard right. "What?"

She linked her arms behind his neck and said, "I didn't want that other clerk hitting on me. I made it up. The tablet is for my dad. So ... I don't have a boyfriend," she repeated. "I thought you might want to know."

Gale turned to look at the woman he'd been fighting his attraction for all evening. She was smiling at him as if she knew what he was thinking. Except that Gale himself didn't know what he was thinking. He was lost again in those blue eyes, heart racing in his chest. Forgetting the cab, he did the only thing that made sense. He leaned in and kissed her. Her mouth was soft and yielded to the pressure of his lips. In an instant he felt as if he could never get enough of this, of her, of them. But then he felt a light pressure on his chest - her hand, not pushing him away but instead just giving a faint suggestion of space. He tilted his head back and breathed deeply. Then he looked in her eyes. He saw a reflection of his own attraction - dare he call it love - as young and fragile as a fledgling bird fresh from its nest. Her words were still loud in his mind, so he answered them with his own sneaky smile. "Do you want one?"

The corner of her mouth turned up as she deciphered his meaning, crinkling the corner of her eye. "Are you offering your services?" she teased, giving him a wicked smile. He groaned and engulfed her again. A slight, honeyed sound escaped the back of her throat as their lips met.

All those fantasies faded away, revealed now as empty follies when held up against the real woman. Her boldness, her wit ... he wanted to know everything about her but couldn't pull himself from her long enough to ask the questions. Even the air around them seemed to pulse with energy. Gale pinned her against the wall of the building, pressing his mouth to hers. He dropped his head to one side and brushed his nose against her cheek, against her neck, kissing the delicate honeysuckle-sweet skin below her ear.

The cab arrived, far too soon. Gale didn't want to let her go. "You ..." he murmured. "You are in so much trouble. Do you have any idea the torture you put me through tonight?"

Madge giggled and a small smile played across her lips. Seeing it made him smile more broadly, and his smile drew her smile out further so that they were grinning at each other like two idiots in love. "You can tell me all about it," she said. She nodded to the cab and asked, "Where to? Your place or mine?" she asked.

Playfully Gale answered, "It's best that I make sure you get home safely." Then she pulled him toward her into another kiss.

* * *

A/N: For more Gadge bar fun, see post 73061928727 on belle453's tumblr [url belle453 dot tumblr dot com slash post slash 73061928727] (also known as gadge-madge-teaching-gale-how-to-take-a-tequila-shot) which I would love to slide right into this bar scene (with permission of course), but there are enough small differences that instead I'm just linking to it here. Enjoy!


	6. Gone Sledding

**A/N: This AU story is in honor of Belle's Birthday. I didn't finish it in time for her birthday, but I hope it adds to her birthday fun. Happy Belated Birthday, Belle! (I apologize for any errors, I'll correct them as I find them.) I hope you all enjoy!  
**

* * *

Even on opening weekend, Madge couldn't resist the guilty pleasure of visiting the tubing hill with her old disc sled. As an employee of the Lodge, she'd already hit the slopes with her snowboard the day before. Barreling down the mountain clinging to the shallow metal bowl was a different sort of thrill than snowboarding, one that drew her back to her days growing up, before the Lodge was built or the ski slopes existed, when all the kids would converge on the same sledding hill after a good snow. Snowboarding was a rush but required discipline and practice. When all she wanted was to feel the wind in her face, she came here. Besides, the resort supervisors appreciated having extra people on hand in case anything came up - and the slopes with young children often had more than their fair share of mishaps.

With anxious energy to burn, Madge joined the kids and families walking up on their own instead of taking the lift. There was a trampled path that provided easier passage through the snow, but even so the uphill trek tired her out quickly. She chastised herself for getting so out of shape in the off-season. Trekking uphill in ski gear, or sledding gear in this case, seemed to require its own set of otherwise unused muscles. On her last hike up, she'd pushed herself to stay ahead of a group of boys carrying plastic toboggans rolled up under their arms; by the time she reached the top she had unzipped her outer jacket and was panting to catch her breath. After only a few trips up and down she was already eying the lifts, but she was set against using them. She had an opening weekend resolution to earn her turns; it forced her to pace herself and appreciate the start of the ski season that stretched out ahead of her like an unopened present.

She paused at the top of the hill to watch the tourists: a mother and daughter pushing off, riding down together on a heavy wooden sled, followed by a boy and girl who crammed onto a toboggan together, being cheered on by a red-faced man, undoubtedly their father, who rode an inner tube down after them. He was one of few tubers on the slopes, for now anyway. When a path cleared she took a few paces of a running start and leaped onto her own silver disc, holding tight as it slid smoothly across the snow. She could steer by shifting her weight on the disc, well enough to avoid the slower sledders, and the occasional kid who thought stopping and standing in the middle of the slopes halfway down the hill was a great idea. Madge was used to it, though. She let out a whoop of joy as she descended the hill and picked up speed. The disc slid out a long way across the flat area at the bottom of the hill before she stuck out her boots and ground to a halt.

Clambering to her feet, Madge brushed the snow off her pants. The walkie-talkie tucked into her coat buzzed, but it was just normal operations. Madge climbed the hill again; halfway up, she recognized the wooden sled being towed by the pair ahead of her. The woman pulling it had one hand on the sled's tow rope and one keeping hold of her daughter's mittened hand. They paused, the woman catching her breath, and Madge drew even to them.

"Would you like a hand?" Madge asked, without thinking.

"That's okay. Thank you though," the woman answered between heavy breaths. Madge nodded. Before she could walk ahead, the little girl turned to her.

"Hi. I'm Posy. I'm six," the girl announced. "Who are you?"

"Hi Posy. I'm Madge," she answered with a smile. Keeping pace with mother and daughter as they began hiking uphill again, Madge asked, "Are you having fun sledding?"

Posy nodded emphatically. "You like sledding too?" she asked.

Madge opened her mouth wide as if in surprise. "How did you know that? Did somebody tell you?"

Giggling, Posy shook her head. "No."

"Then how did you know I like sledding? Are you a psychic?" Madge asked, acting incredulous.

Posy stared at her and proclaimed, "No. Why else would you be on the sledding hill?"

Madge suppressed a smile. "Ohhhhh. Is that where I am? No wonder there are so many people with sleds here!"

Posy looked at her uncertainly for a moment, then smiled before turning away and packing snow between her mittens. Madge watched, in case she was about to be pelted, but the girl just tossed the snowball onto the trail ahead.

The mother paused again, switching the sled's tow rope from one hand to the other. Madge noticed and offered, "You sure you don't want a break from that? I'll trade you." She held out her lightweight sledding disc and gave a friendly smile, at the same time recognizing that she had unwittingly fallen into "helper" mode. The habit was ingrained into her after working as a camp counselor all summer.

"You work here?" the woman asked, eying Madge's neon orange coat, the color staff wore throughout the resort so they could be easily found.

"Yes, ma'am. Well, I work in the Lodge, but sometimes help out here on the slopes, if they need extra hands with something. My name's Madge."

After a short pause, the woman nodded. "If you're sure you don't mind then, Madge. That's very kind," she said, before relinquished the sled's tow rope to Madge and taking the disc.

Madge was happy to find that the sled, though a little on the heavy side, wasn't difficult to drag behind her. As they made their way up the hill, the little girl would turn to Madge to tell her about her coat, or their sled, and so on. When they reached the top, Posy asked, "Do you want to ride on our sled with us? It's really fun."

Before Madge could answer, Posy's mother said, "Pose, hon, let's leave the nice lady alone okay?"

Madge shook her head. "It's okay," she told the mother. Looking to Posy she said, "We'd be a little crowded on your sled, but how about I see you at the bottom of the hill and you can tell me about your ride down?"

Madge waved to the girl as she watched the pair push off downhill again, then followed suit on her disc. On her way down the hill, Madge could faintly make out the sound of chatter on her walkie-talkie, but couldn't make out what was being said.

When she came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, she saw Posy waving to her. The walkie-talkie chatter hadn't let up, and Madge wanted to find out what was going on. Not wanting the tourists to overhear anything, she waved back to the girl as she cranked the volume up on her walkie-talkie to clearly hear what was going on elsewhere in the resort. It took a minute to catch up, but she quickly figured out that the ski patrol had been called to help a couple skiers after a collision - one was unconscious, another injured. It wasn't unusual for opening weekend to involve a few incidents of skiers getting themselves into trouble, but Madge hoped nobody was seriously hurt - it would put a damper on the weekend's fun. She silenced the walkie-talkie and tucked it back inside her coat before walking over to where the girl and her mother were standing.

"She wanted to wait for you," the mother explained. "I hope you don't mind."

Madge smiled. "I'm delighted."

The woman answered, "I think Posy introduced herself before. I'm Hazelle. I should warn you, my Posy has a way of getting everyone she meets wrapped around her little finger."

They had only started up the hill when a cellphone rang an unfamiliar tone. "Oh, that's me," Hazelle said as she pulled off to the side of the path and reached into a coat pocket. After a couple minutes removing gloves, digging out the phone, and finding the right screen, she seemed to find what she was looking for. As she read the screen, Hazelle's face paled.

"Is everything okay?" Madge asked.

Hazelle looked at her blankly, then shook her head. "No. My son - My son is hurt."

Madge frowned. "Skiing? There was a collision on the slopes. I just heard."

Hazelle looked around frantically, saying, "The boys were all together. We've got to go -"

Madge touched the woman's arm, hoping to calm her. "Ski patrol is already there. They'll take the skiers to the Lodge - to the infirmary. If anyone was seriously injured, they'll get them to the hospital. Just check at the front desk, they'll be able to find him for you." Madge knew that most likely, the boy would be fine, but no matter what, there wouldn't be much the woman could do immediately, except wait. Looking down at the girl, Madge imagined her next several hours, waiting beside a worried parent. Madge had been in that situation enough when she was young, hospital waiting rooms and bedside vigils as her mother slowly slipped further into illness ... she acted on impulse and empathy now.

"They'll do a pretty thorough exam; you'll probably be waiting awhile. If you want, I can watch Posy. Let her sled a little while longer, then bring her back to the Lodge."

Hazelle peered at her. "Are you sure?"

"I really don't mind," Madge insisted. "You'll be waiting anyway, and I can't imagine Posy is ready to sit around the Lodge. I work with kids all the time, I'll take good care of her. And you can have the front desk call me anytime." She slid the walkie-talkie, which she'd silenced, from her coat as evidence.

Hazelle sighed a little, smiling sadly. "You're a saint," she said. Turning to Posy she asked, "Posy, I'm going back to the Lodge now. Your brother fell but he's going to be just fine, okay? Do you want to keep sledding with Miss Madge?"

Posy nodded.

"Okay sweetheart. You can stay here, but when you're done sledding come right back to the Lodge, okay? And you have to promise you'll do exactly as Madge says and stay safe."

"I promise," Posy answered.

"Okay. I'll see you soon, sweetie." Hazelle hugged her daughter, and smiled a thanks to Madge, before turning and hurrying back down the path toward the Lodge.

A half hour later, they'd made several trips down the hill together on the wooden sled, though Madge had a little trouble adjusting to its steering, and Posy was trying to wheedle her way into a solo trip on Madge's disc. If Hazelle had been there, Madge wouldn't have minded, but she wasn't sure she could trust Posy's claim that she'd done it before, and didn't want anything bad to happen.

As they reached the bottom of the hill, Posy squealed something unintelligible and jumped off the sled before it had stopped. "Did you see me? Did you see me?" she yelled, running off toward the edge of the sled zone.

Hurriedly Madge jumped off the sled, pulling it behind her as she chased after the girl. As she got close enough to see that Posy had indeed stopped running and was hugging the waist of a figure by the fence, she relaxed and slowed to a walk. Posy was busy telling the newcomer about sledding, "... and we were going so fast ..."

"I take it she belongs to you?" Madge asked as she reached them, interrupting Posy's chatter. The figure was a man; he was tall, and older than her but not old enough, she thought, to be Posy's father. He was in ski gear like everyone else around, eyes hidden behind sunglasses, with a little dark hair sticking out from under his ski cap. Posy was holding on to one of his hands with both of hers.

"Yeah. Hi. You must be Madge?" the man asked.

She nodded, then asked, "and you are?"

"Sorry - Gale. Hawthorne - Posy's my sister. Thanks for looking out for her," he answered.

"No problem," she said, automatically.

Crouching down next to the girl, Gale asked, "Pose, you ready to go back to the Lodge and get some cocoa?"

Posy agreed happily, and a moment later Madge was waving goodbye to them as they walked back toward the Lodge.

* * *

The next morning, Madge found herself back at the tubing hill. She had only just arrived when she saw a now-familiar wooden sled that she hadn't realized she'd been looking for. She was going to walk over and ask what had happened with the injured brother, but Posy spotted her and started running over.

"Madge! You're here," exclaimed Posy, hugging her waist. Madge was surprised by the greeting, and that the girl even remembered her name.

"Hi Posy," Madge answered. "How are you?"

"Are you here to come sledding with us?" the girl asked.

"Didn't you tell me the only reason to come here was for sledding? And I wanted to find out if your brother is okay," she told the girl.

"He's fine. And he prefers people ask him directly," a voice said. Looking up, Madge saw Posy's brother - the one she'd met the day before, Gale - a few feet away. _When did he get here?_

Flushing slightly, Madge frowned. "I meant the other one."

"There are three of us. Me, Rory, and Vick," he smirked.

"The one in the infirmary?" she answered pointedly.

Posy piped up, reciting with some difficulty, "Rory got his medium-cola-tail leg mint hurt and now he can't ski all weekend. But Ma said he might be able to come sledding tomorrow."

Madge was still trying to translate Posy's words when Gale said, "She means medial collateral ligament." Pointing to Posy Gale called "earmuffs!"

Madge watched, confused, as Posy instantly pressed her palms to her ears. Gale said quietly, "partial mcl tear, his knee's pretty fucked for now. Stuck on his ass in the lodge. It's a shame, we were going to ski the back side today. But he'll be okay. Maybe next time." He tapped Posy's head and Posy moved her hands from her ears, giggling and grinning at Gale. He winked back at her and said, "good girl."

Posy told Madge in a conspiratorial voice, "when he says earmuffs, that means he's going to say something bad," and erupted into another fit of giggles.

Madge looked to Gale with raised eyebrows. The guilty smirk on his face confirmed Posy's explanation. "Better than her hearing it," he offered with a shrug.

"What happened anyway? With your brother?" Madge asked.

Gale shook his head. "This guy just plowed headfirst into us, knocked Rory's legs out from under him."

"At least it's only a partial tear," she commented, "shouldn't take long to heal."

Posy was already pulling Gale toward the trail uphill. As Madge followed them, he asked her, ""Ma said you work here. So what's your job? Babysitting lost kids?"

"No. I work in the Lodge," she said. "Mountain access is one of the perks. Sometimes I help out to stay on the supervisor's good side."

Gale whistled. "Nice deal. You ski? Get freshies often?"

Nodding, Madge answered, "I snowboard. And yeah, during the week sometimes we get to be first on the slopes after a snowfall. When we're lucky."

"So you're just hanging out on the kiddie hill for fun?" he asked.

Madge felt heat rush into her cheeks. Luckily he probably couldn't tell, since they would be red from cold anyway.

"The sledding hill, you mean," she said. "It's opening weekend. The ski slopes are packed."

At the top of the hill Posy tugged on her arm. "Madge can I ride on your sled?"

"I thought you were sledding with your brother," Madge answered.

Gale crouched down to Posy's eye level. "You don't want to sled with me?" he asked. He acted sad, but ruined it by glancing up at Madge with a rakish grin.

Posy pouted and answered, "Madge said I could ride her disc and go down all by myself."

"Posy," Madge started in a warning tone. Then realizing that she shouldn't be reprimanding a total stranger, she explained to the brother. "I didn't. I mean, it's okay with me, but it's really not my decision -"

Posy had already escalated to begging. "Please please please please please?" she pleaded, tugging on her brother's arm.

"Okay," Gale acquiesced. "But you've got to hold on tight. I'll be right behind you."

Posy nodded seriously. Gale handed Madge the tow rope for the wooden sled, then settled Posy onto Madge's disc and made sure she had a good grip. Glancing up at Madge he nodded to the wooden sled and said, "get ready." Madge expected to hand the sled over to him, and watched as Gale gently pushed his sister to give her some momentum, and stepped over to the other sled. Sitting on the back end, he looked at her and said, "come on, take the front. You're steering."

Surprised, she dropped onto the sled, sitting indian-style in front of him. Before she knew what was happening, Gale shifted so his legs were on either side of her, pushing off and propping his feet against the front of the sled as the sled zoomed down the slope, picking up speed as they went. She was used to solo sledding, having never had siblings, and racing downhill with another person, his body enveloping hers almost intimately, was a wholly new experience. She'd ridden down the hill with Posy the day before, but this was completely different from having a small child curled in front of you, when she'd been that enveloping presence. Her heart raced faster than their speed called for, and her mind idly wondered what he was like off the slopes, as she steered them safely down the hill.

As they reached the bottom, the young girl came running over, flailing the disc in one hand. She squealed, "Gale! I went down that big hill all by myself! Did you see how fast I was going? I got almost all the way to the fence!"

Gale laughed. "That's great Pose! You want to say anything to Madge?" he hinted.

"Thank you Madge!" Posy answered. "Thank you thank you so so so so so so so so much. Can I go again? Pleeeease?"

Madge looked at Gale, and could see he was going to leave it up to her, so she agreed. As the three of them trekked back uphill, Gale convinced Posy to be a 'big girl' and carry the sled disc. They got about halfway up the hill before Posy was dragging it behind her. Madge offered to carry it, but Gale said if Posy wanted to use it on her own, she should carry it on her own. Madge snickered, and when Gale looked her way she challenged, "in that case I should be carrying the wood sled."

"Except," he smirked back, "you're not riding solo. I want to ride it too." He didn't say "so there" but he might as well have. Still, it solidified that as long as Posy was using Madge's disc, they were sharing the sled.

Madge felt a small thrill. She barely knew him. She hadn't even thought about being physically close to Gale Hawthorne until she'd suddenly been on the sled with him, feeling the pressure of his body where it touched hers. It was silly. It was stupid. It was just sledding, but it had been his idea and he didn't regret it. Suddenly she felt like she was using Posy to get close to Gale. She wondered if she should feel guilty.

She decided against it, then decided she wasn't going to let him win that easily. "Then we should both pull it, so it's my turn," Madge countered, grabbing for the tow rope, wondering how he'd react. She didn't think he'd take kindly to her and Posy doing all the lifting, even if only for a short distance. He looked at her assessingly, and she raised her eyebrows in challenge, refusing to back down.

The stare-down only lasted a minute. "Come on," Posy whined. Then the corner of his mouth twitched, and his head turned slightly to the side.

"Fine. It's your turn," he said, dropping the tow rope. Then in one quick move he swiveled and swept Posy up off her feet. "Because it's _your_ turn for a piggy back ride. Right Pose?" Posy was practically breathless in a fit of giggles, squealing in delight as her brother settled her onto his shoulders and began walking again. Madge didn't even have time to be disappointed; she happily lugged the sled as she trailed after the two Hawthornes.

As they neared top of the hill, Gale stopped and let Posy down. "You're getting too big for that," he groaned, shaking his head.

After a few more passes, the cold was starting to seep in through Madge's coat. Posy was starting to drag, too. "Posy, you're getting snotcicles. Time for a break," Gale declared. "Let's go see how Rory's doing." Posy wiped at her nose with the back of her mitten. Madge hesitated. Going back with them seemed far more appealing than sticking around the tubing hill, but she didn't want to intrude. Gale looked over to Madge, smiled, and said, "Nice running into you ... guess we'll see you around?"

She realized, suddenly, what strangers they were. She didn't even know what color his eyes were; she'd only seen him out here on the slopes, wearing sunglasses. She chided herself for reading into an innocent encounter, and forced a smile. "Right - I hope so," she answered.

She watched them go with a sinking feeling in her chest. Both had won her over, in their own ways. W_ay to get attached to the first people you meet all ski season,_ she thought to herself. Unable or unwilling to follow them directly back to the Lodge, she watched the other sledders speed down the slopes, then hiked up for one last trip down the hill, on her own. The disc was fast, the wind froze her face, and she felt free. But it was missing something - she missed the sound of the little girl's laughter, and the feeling of the man sitting behind her. _Freedom_, she sighed to herself, _is overrated._

Face almost frozen, Madge made her way toward the Ski Lodge. A long-furred Yeti, mascot of the ski resort, held the door for her as she stomped the snow off her boots. "Thanks, Finnick!" she called, loud enough to be heard over the racket of people coming from inside the lodge. The Yeti waved a hand to her as she strode into the warm building. The resort was her universe for the next five months, the Lodge her home, no matter what sweet families of tourists came and went. She headed to the staff housing area, put away her gear and changed into a sweater and jeans.

She'd barely entered the lounge when she spotted the boy on one of the couches by the windows - mid-teens, dark hair cropped short, bandaged leg propped on a pile of cushions. He had to be the injured brother. Madge sidled up to an empty spot at the end of the bar where her friend and roommate Annie was working, not far from one of many television screens airing winter sports. Madge kept half an eye on the half-pipe snowboarding on screen. Between dealing with customers, Annie fetched Madge hot cocoa and caught her up on some staff gossip, while the warmth slowly pushed the chill from Madge's fingers. Madge checked her schedule, which included a call time for the night's show and not much else. She put in a lunch order, then asked Annie about the boy. Of course, Annie already knew about Madge meeting Posy, Hazelle, and Gale. Annie said he was part of a big family, and that they'd been coming and going to visit him all day, even though he had a portable video game system, and other entertainment. The crowd in the lounge thinned out, and Madge's sandwich arrived - the kitchen had even remembered to put the pickles on the side for her, so they wouldn't poison the taste of the bread.

Chomping into the sandwich, Madge was watching Shaun White _kill_ the competition when she felt a tug on her sleeve. She glanced back and recognized Posy (albeit missing her winter outerwear). Posy's eyes were wet from trying not to laugh, and a half-second later she erupted into giggles. Madge swallowed the bite in her mouth and said, "Hi Posy. You come to visit your brother?" Posy nodded deliberately, and glanced at something above Madge's head before bursting into more laughter.

Madge saw the glance. She was immediately suspicious. One eyebrow raised she swiveled the bar stool until sure enough, her gaze landed on big brother Gale, his hands hiding something behind his back. He smiled brightly, feigning innocence. His eyes, she saw, were a shade of gray that reminded her of storm clouds before snow. "Madge," he said, sounding very nonchalant. "We were just visiting our brother Rory." His gesture toward the boy on the couch was emphasized by the pickle spear in his hand. Gale looked at the pickle for a moment, as if wondering where it came from, before biting off the end and sliding it gingerly back where it came from, on Madge's plate. Posy giggled nonstop through the whole thing.

"What if I was going to eat that?" she asked him.

"You're not?" he asked in turn, perking up as he grabbed it back off the plate and, revealing the second pickle spear in his other hand, proceeded to puppeteer them back and forth like the legs of a Rockette mid-dance routine until Madge's laughter joined Posy's. Then, as if noticing disapproving looks, he set the second pickle back on her plate, and took another bite from the first.

"Gale!" Posy hissed, when she finally caught her breath.

"Posy!" Gale mimicked his sister's tone. Just then a woman and a boy walked into the lounge, catching Gale's eye. "Right," he said, turning serious. "Posy," he repeated, "Ma's here. Why don't you go ask her about what you were asking me earlier?"

Posy didn't need any more encouraging. She hurried off, intercepting the newcomers as they made their way to the couches.

"I'm not sure," Madge said slowly, "if it's her keeping up with you, or you keeping up with her. But whichever it is, I don't know how you two do it."

Gale stuffed the last of the pickle in his mouth, chewed and swallowed, as he seemed to think it through. Then he slid into the empty barstool next to her and answered, "Well, Posy wanted to talk to you." In a whisper he added, "_alone_." Returning to a somewhat normal voice he continued, "because she really wants to have a sleepover with her new best friend." Tilting his head he added, "that would be you. Congratulations, you've stolen her love from me and broken my heart. But anyway -" he shrugged. "I have a sneaking suspicion that Ma will talk her into something a little more ... well, normal?"

"Aww," Madge cooed. "She is about the cutest kid I've ever seen, you know that right?" Over Gale's shoulder she saw Annie watching them, and caught the quick thumbs-up from her roommate.

"She is irresistible," Gale agreed. He propped his arm on the bar between them, leaning toward her with his chin on his fist, and sighed, "like I said, broken heart. Of course, this makes you my mortal enemy. I must now learn all your greatest weaknesses and use them against you. You understand that right?"

"Of course," she answered, "but you're too late. Your sister loves me now. Hurting me now will just drive her further from you."

He narrowed his eyes, then with a glint in his eye remarked, "damn your flawless logic."

The corner of her mouth turned up, self-satisfied. He smiled slightly at the joke, and his magnetic gray eyes, staring back at her, seemed to hold her in place. Her heart raced in her chest as the distance between them seemed to slowly shrink. His eyes flickered over her face. He was going to kiss her. Then a shriek came from across the room, a familiar voice that broke the spell. Madge felt herself straightening in her seat, and the heat rushed over her face as he glanced back toward his family.

Quickly, Madge tried to think of something to say to keep him there. She didn't even know how long they were here for, so she asked, "So, mind if I add this blood feud to my calendar? How long should I expect to have to watch my back?"

"Well, here's the thing about the blood feud," he answered, looking back at her. "You can't actually escape it. At least not while you're working here. We're local. Sorry if that messes up your date book. And speaking of your date book, didn't you say you worked here?" he asked. "Because from what I can tell your 'work' consists of sledding and snacking. Where do I sign up for that?"

"I think there's a sign up sheet at the front desk?" she suggested.

He nodded, then said, "You mean the one for tomorrow's mother-daughter dance? I'm already on the list. And if I wanted to find out what you really do here?" he asked.

Relenting, she told him, "I work in the Lodge theater, which believe it or not is a real job. But there's not a lot for me to do this weekend because the band that's here, CK, is the only show in town and they have all their own crew. As long as I show up to work the actual shows, I'm good. Which is how I have time for stealing young girls' hearts."

"You should teach a class in that," Gale answered. "I bet you'd have a lot of takers. So what do you do during the shows?"

"Usually I run the lighting system. CK has their own guy and everything's computerized anyway, so I'm just working a follow spot," Madge explained.

"Follow spot?" Gale asked.

"He'll lead you straight to the doghouse," Madge quipped. Then laughed at herself. "Sorry. The follow spot is a spotlight that follows someone on stage - in this case, the lead singer. He improvises where he goes on stage when, so my job is to make sure the spotlight follows him at all times. Follow spot."

"And if I wanted to say, set an evil trap, expose you as a fraud, and regain Posy's love, where would I find you after the show?"

Madge smiled. "Second floor theater lobby. I set all my evil traps there."

"Perfect. I'll go pencil it into my date book," he said, smiling. With a wink, he stood up from the barstool and walked over to where the rest of his family was gathered on the couches. Biting her lip in an attempt to keep herself from grinning like an idiot, Madge forced herself to turn back to the remnants of her lunch and the snowboarding broadcast.

* * *

Madge had to work hard to keep her hands steady during the concert. She hadn't been able to think about much besides Gale Hawthorne since she'd left the lounge that afternoon. Of course, she'd waited around long enough to dish to Annie about him. As she worked the follow spot tonight, she couldn't help but think of every song sung by the band onstage as getting her that much closer to the end of the concert and their date. Date, mock blood feud - did it matter? By the time CK finished their regular set, she couldn't wait to get out of there, so the three encores the band sung irked her far more than they usually would. Finally the stage manager called the end of the show, and Madge pulled off the headset she communicated with the rest of the crew through.

Sure enough, Gale was waiting in the second floor lobby.

"No Posy?" she teased him.

"It's a little past her bedtime," he answered. "And I don't think she listens to country music."

"You went to the concert?" she asked, surprised.

"How else was I supposed to know when it would be over?" he shrugged. "Besides, I heard the follow spot operator's one of the best around. I had to see it for myself. You want to head down to the lounge? Grab some dessert?"

Madge frowned. The lounge would be full of drunk tourists and nosy staff. "Not really," she said. "but maybe you can walk me home?"

With a smile Gale answered, "so I can gather more information for my attack. Good idea."

"Something like that," Madge laughed. She led the way to the staff housing area, in a building behind, but connected to, the main Lodge. As they walked they talked about the concert, and Gale told her about skiing that afternoon with his brother Vick. Then he asked about how the staff housing worked, and Madge explained about sharing a unit with Annie. Eventually they lapsed into silence.

At the door to her and Annie's place, she told him, "This is me."

Gale looked from the door to Madge and commented, "Looks like Annie would rather you stay out with me." He gestured to the green tie hanging from the doorknob.

"No," Madge disagreed, pulling the tie from the doorknob. She couldn't admit that it meant Annie was with her fiancé Finnick and wouldn't be home tonight. Mischievously she told him, "Green means come on in and join the party slash orgy." Then she laughed, as Gale's eyebrows shot up onto his forehead and his mouth hung limply open. She unlocked the door and pushed it open. She stepped into the silent apartment, pulling a hesitant Gale after her.

Her anxious anticipation caught up with her now that they were in the apartment. Flicking on the lights and stashing her jacket on a hook, Madge said, "I guess we missed it. Dang, they always forget to take the tie down after. I've really gotta talk to Annie about that." The apartment felt warm, almost stifling, and Madge wondered if Annie had left the heat on, or was it just her own anxiousness? "You want something to drink?" She asked, grabbing a couple sodas from the fridge and setting them on the counter.

"At least they cleaned up after themselves," Gale said, following her to the kitchenette and leaning against the end of the counter.

"Okay, fine," Madge admitted, "there wasn't a party. I'm surprised you fell for that. Would we really party in our tiny little apartment, when there's a whole big resort to take advantage of? Green really means, 'I'm out, but I'll be home at any minute, so don't get any ideas about inviting boys over.' So when Annie comes back, you know, just jump out the window. I'll distract her." _Why are we not kissing yet? _she thought._ Oh right, because I won't shut up. _She stepped toward him, swallowing nervously as she closed the space between them.

She looked at him. He looked at her. "Deal," Gale agreed to the obvious lie. His monosyllabic response made her feel all the more like she had been babbling. But suddenly, it didn't matter. She didn't even know who leaned in first. Their lips touched softly, then pressed deeper. She felt like she'd been waiting forever for this, like it couldn't possibly be true that she'd met him only a day ago. She wrapped her arms around his neck, melting into him as his hands wrapped around her hips.

When they broke apart, each catching their breath, Gale pulled her over to the futon in front of the tv. Collapsing into each other, he skimmed his hands under the hem of her shirt so that his fingers pressed into her back as her lips found his again. The feeling of his mouth on hers was intoxicating. She ran her hands up his arms, shooting her fingertips into his hair. When they came up for air again, hearts pounding, he pulled his shirt off over his head. Sometime later Madge's joined it on the floor.

An hour later, they were still entwined on the futon when noises in the hall reminded them of the passage of time. Gale looked at his watch and with a groan, pulled himself away from her. Madge knew he had to go; she handed him his discarded shirt, then pulled him in for one last kiss. She asked for his phone and he handed it over; she programmed her number into it for him and then handed it back. Before leaving, he told her what time his family was usually in the lounge in the mornings, and kissed her goodnight.

* * *

The next morning when she walked into the lounge, she saw three Hawthornes sitting in the same set of couches they'd claimed the day before. She couldn't miss the sly smile on Gale's face when their eyes met. He didn't come over and say hi, though, or invite her to join them. No, he sent his secret weapon instead.

Before she'd made it ten steps into the room, a dark-haired little girl was running over to her, followed more slowly by her mother. "Will you come have cocoa with us?" Posy asked, her eyes bright.

Uncertainly Madge looked from Gale to the girl's mother. "You'd be welcome, but don't feel obligated," Hazelle said neutrally. Madge was guessing that she didn't know about their date the night before.

"Pleeeeease?" begged Posy, pulling on Madge's arm and looking up at her pathetically.

Madge, of course, agreed. It wasn't like she had somewhere else to be. "I'd be happy to come have cocoa with you," Madge told the girl. Posy smiled triumphantly, taking Madge's hand and leading her over to the couches by Gale. When Posy directed Madge to the seat next to Gale, an amused look passed between pair of them. As soon as Madge was seated, Posy climbed up onto the couch between them and announced to Gale, "Madge is having cocoa with me. See? I told you she would." In the meantime, Hazelle sat down in an over-stuffed chair on the other side of Gale. Gale gave Madge a quick wink before turning his attention back to his sister.

Though Posy demanded almost constant attention, consistently distracting either Gale or Madge, Hazelle seemed accustomed to taking advantage of Posy's distractions to talk to whichever of the two young adults wasn't occupied with the girl. She seemed to transition without pause when Posy's attention switched - in one minute thanking Madge again for her help, in the next talking with Gale about their plans for the day, and so on. Hazelle was talking with Madge about needing to rouse her other boys from bed, when Madge heard Posy asking Gale, "Will you help me look for bunny rabbits today?"

Gale gave his sister a quizzical look, then answered, "No Posy, I don't think the bunny rabbits like the ski slopes." To Madge he explained, "Posy loves animals."

Posy pouted. "But you saw one yesterday. I heard you tell Thom."

"Pose," Hazelle broke in evenly. "You're not supposed to listen to other people's conversations."

"But I heard him, Ma," the girl insisted. "He said he found a snow bunny."

Madge guffawed at Posy's innocent repetition of Gale's less innocent words, though at the same time she felt confused and jealous. It wasn't like she had any claim on Gale, but she was disappointed at the thought that he could have spent the afternoon chasing pretty girls on the ski slopes - and if that was his style, he'd naturally fail to mention it when describing his day to her, as he had last night. She peered at him uncertainly, at the guilty chagrin written on his face. _But guilty why?_ She wished she could read him better. He met her eyes, though, and seeing her expression something changed in his, and then he mouthed, _you_. She wanted to laugh again and to set him straight, but it would have to wait. She was proud of her ski bum (or more accurately, snowboard bum) status. Instead she just rolled her eyes. Looking up, she saw Hazelle watching her, having stifled her own surprised laughter. The women's eyes met, and Madge got the distinct impression that the woman knew more about what was going on with her and Gale than she let on.

To Madge's surprise, Hazelle excused herself to go check on Rory and Vick. When she had gone, Gale leaned down and whispered something in Posy's ear. Posy looked from Gale to Madge, grinning, then covered her ears with her hands. Madge looked to Gale. "Snow bunny?" she asked.

"Nosy Posy. She wasn't supposed to hear that," he said quietly. He reached across the couch, behind his sister, and ran a finger along Madge's arm. She turned, moving her arm and taking his hand in hers so their fingers twisted together on the couch behind Posy. "Can you meet me after work tonight?" he asked. "Maybe get a bite to eat this time?"

Madge started to agree when Posy interrupted, saying, "Gale are you done yet? My arms are getting tired."

"She's been pretty patient," Madge commented. Grimacing, Gale mussed his sister's hair, signaling that she could drop her hands. Then he pulled her into his lap and planted his hands on either side of her head, covering her ears.

"Eleven," Madge answered quickly. Smiling, Gale released his sister, whispering in her ear. Posy climbed over to Madge on the sofa, sitting on her knees. Posy leaned toward Madge's shoulder and Madge asked, "what is it, Posy?"

In a loud whisper Posy told her, "you're really pretty. My brother thinks so too."

Winking at Madge, Gale groaned. "Thanks a lot Posy. You weren't supposed to _tell_ her."


End file.
